Lighting system for a passenger cabin especially in an aircraft

Abstract

A lighting system for passenger cabins, particularly aircraft passenger cabins, is equipped with at least one central light source cooperating with hollow light guides for distributing light in the passenger cabin. The light sources may be positioned in fixed locations within the aircraft or in fixed locations in the ceiling or in mobile locations within the hollow light guides. Light extractors are positioned where needed. The light guides are hollow preferably tubular light guides which may cooperate with optical light conductor fibers, and with lenses and mirrors where needed.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An aircraft passenger cabin, comprising a lighting system including at least one light source and a plurality of tubular hollow light guide sections positioned to receive light from said at least one light source for distributing light in the passenger cabin, said tubular hollow light guide sections being arranged in a longitudinal row to form a longitudinal tubular hollow light guide column, and wherein said at least one light source is arranged at an end of at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections for feeding light into said longitudinal row of tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       2. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, further comprising at least one light decoupling device integrated into at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       3. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, wherein each of said tubular hollow light guide sections comprises a longitudinal prism (10) disposed inside said tubular hollow light guide sections for conducting light inside said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       4. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 3, further comprising at least one light reflection film (13) forming a light extractor (12) which deflects light in directions in which said longitudinal prism (10) is light transparent. 
     
     
       5. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 2, wherein said decoupling device comprises transmission right angle film (14) which is applied to inner surface areas (15) of said tubular hollow light guide sections (8). 
     
     
       6. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 2, wherein said decoupling device comprises light exit openings (16, 16') in said tubular hollow light guide sections, said decoupling device further comprising transmission right angle film (14) covering said light exit openings. 
     
     
       7. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, further comprising a cabin ceiling and ceiling panels, and wherein said tubular hollow light guide sections (28A, . . . ) are secured to said ceiling panels to form a ceiling lighting arrangement. 
     
     
       8. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 7, wherein said at least one light source (9) is mounted in a cabin fixture for supplying light into an end of said tubular hollow light guide column. 
     
     
       9. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 7, wherein said at least one light source (30D) is mounted in said cabin ceiling for feeding light into said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       10. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 9, further comprising a hole (31D) in at least one ceiling panel of said ceiling panels, wherein light from said ceiling mounted light source (30D, 30E) passes through said hole (31D) perpendicularly to a longitudinal axis of a respective tubular hollow light guide section (28D), and further comprising a prismatic mirror (32E) for deflecting a light bean from said ceiling mounted light source (30D, 30E) into said respective tubular hollow light guide section (28D, 28E). 
     
     
       11. An aircraft passenger cabin, comprising a lighting system including at least one light source and a plurality of hollow light guide sections positioned to receive light from said at least one light source for distributing light in the passenger cabin, said hollow light guide sections being arranged in a longitudinal row to form a longitudinal hollow light guide column which receives light from said at least one light source, wherein at least one of said hollow light guide sections comprises a hollow light box (17), and wherein said hollow light box comprises a longitudinal light source (34) arranged along one side of said hollow light box (17), and further comprising a box cover (19) and a light extractor film (20) covering at least a portion of said box cover (19) of said hollow light box (17) for providing a surface area illumination. 
     
     
       12. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 11, further comprising a cabin separation wall and a fixture in said cabin separation wall, wherein said at least one longitudinal light source is mounted in said fixture in said cabin separation wall. 
     
     
       13. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, further comprising at least one optical fiber light conductor (40A, 40B, 42) and a coupler connecting said at least one optical fiber light conductor to at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       14. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, wherein at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections (43) comprises a longitudinal slot (44) in its wall, said lighting system further comprising a light extraction slide (46) longitudinally movable in said at least one tubular hollow light guide section (43), said at least one tubular hollow light guide section further comprising optical light conductor film (45) covering an inner surface of said at least one tubular hollow light guide section (43), said optical light conductor film (45) having longitudinal margins (45A, 45B) overlapping each other, said margins being flexible for spreading apart when said light extraction slide (46) moves along said at least one tubular hollow light guide section (43). 
     
     
       15. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 14, further comprising a lens device (47) carried by said light extraction slide (46) so that said lens device receives light in said at least one tubular hollow light guide section from said at least one light source, said lighting system further comprising at least one fiber optical light conductor (48A, . . . ) positioned to receive light from said lens device carried by said light extraction slide (46) for supplying light for illumination in said aircraft passenger cabin. 
     
     
       16. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, further comprising an air supply channel (50), a movable support holding said at least one light source to form a movable light generator (51) movable back and forth inside said air supply channel (50), whereby said movable light generator is coolable by air flowing through said air supply channel. 
     
     
       17. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 16, further comprising at least one fiber optical light conductor (48A, 48B, 48C), said at least one light source (52) feeding light into said at least one fiber optical light conductor through at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       18. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, wherein at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections comprises a longitudinally slotted tubular hollow light guide section (43), and wherein said at least one light source comprises a movable support forming with said at least one light source a slide light generator axially slidable within said slotted tubular hollow light guide section (43) for axial back and forth movement in said slotted tubular hollow light guide section (43). 
     
     
       19. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, wherein at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections comprises a mobile mirror inside said at least one tubular hollow light guide section in which said mobile mirror is movable axially for deflecting light within said at least one tubular hollow light guide section (56). 
     
     
       20. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, further comprising a pulley system for moving one of said at least one light source and a mirror lengthwise inside at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       21. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 1, further comprising a carriage (58) and a drive motor (59) for driving said carriage and for moving one of said at least one light source and a mirror lengthwise inside at least one of said tubular hollow light guide sections. 
     
     
       22. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 18, comprising two light sources forming part of said slide light generator, said two light sources (60, 60') being arranged back-to-back in said slide light generator. 
     
     
       23. The aircraft passenger cabin of claim 18, further comprising a blower (57) as part of said slide light generator for cooling said slide light generator. 
     
     
       24. An aircraft passenger cabin, comprising a lighting system including at least one light source and a plurality of hollow light guide sections positioned to receive light from said at least one light source for distributing light in the passenger cabin, said hollow light guide sections being arranged in a longitudinal row to form a longitudinal hollow light guide column, that receives light from said at least one light source, wherein each of said hollow light guide sections comprises a longitudinal prism (10) disposed inside said hollow light guide sections for conducting light inside said hollow light guide sections.